In the News

Drunken-Driving Deaths Fall in 32 StatesThe Associated PressAugust 29, 2008Drunken-driving deaths fell in 32 states in 2007, the government reported Thursday, but alcohol-related fatalities increased among motorcycle riders in half the states.

National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, 2008 The White House,Office of the Press SecretaryAugust 29, 2008Substance abuse is an unrelenting evil that destroys lives, ruins families, and endangers neighborhoods. During National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, we emphasize our commitment to alcohol and drug addiction prevention. This month is also an opportunity to recognize those who have had the courage to combat and overcome addiction.

President Casteen Discusses the Amethyst Initiative to Lower Legal Drinking AgeUVA Today August 27, 2008During a speech Aug. 23 to parents of incoming first-year students, University of Virginia President John T. Casteen discussed the Amethyst Initiative. This consortium of college chancellors and deans maintains that the nationwide legal drinking age of 21 is ineffective and advocates renewing the debate about lowering the legal drinking age to 18. As of Aug. 22, some 129 college officials had signed on.

UMass Tackles Alcohol AbuseBoston GlobeAugust 25, 2008For years, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst has labored under the stereotype of a party school with a deeply entrenched drinking culture. Deserved or not, the "Zoo Mass" reputation fueled a self-perpetuating problem, administrators say: Some students drank heavily because they believed everyone else was.

Let's Have a Sober Discussion of Campus BoozingSan Jose Mercury NewsAugust 25, 2008College presidents generally are loath to take stands on hot-button issues. So it speaks volumes about the extent of underage alcohol use that 123 college presidents - including Santa Clara University's Paul Locatelli - are calling for a public debate on the effects of the 21-year-old drinking age.

Perils of a Lower Drinking AgeChicago Tribune August 25, 2008Life is full of surprises, and some 100 college presidents think they have stumbled on one. They think there is too much problem drinking on campus - no surprise there - and suggest we might solve the problem by changing the drinking age. They don't propose raising it to 25. They want to lower it to 18.

Lower the age to 18?Philadelphia InquirerAugust 25, 2008College presidents have raised the question of whether to lower the drinking age from 21 to 18, in an effort to reduce binge drinking on campus by underage students. Opponents dismissed the idea, arguing that it's an attempt by colleges and universities to escape legal liability and would lead to more alcohol-related deaths.

2 Withdraw From Petition to Rethink Drinking Age New York TimesAugust 22, 2008Two college presidents, both in Georgia, have withdrawn their names from a petition to reconsider the legal drinking age after it drew blistering criticism this week from Mothers Against Drunk Driving, safety experts, transportation officials and politicians.

Binge drinking challenge Our view: The legal drinking age of 21 should remainBaltimore SunAugust 21, 2008A number or respected academic leaders in Maryland believe the legal drinking age should be lowered from 21 to 18, to help confront what they describe as a hidden crisis in binge drinking among students. But they offer no convincing evidence that lowering the drinking age would reduce excessive alcohol use by college students.

Drinking-age proposal draws attacks Health, safety groups say 21 is a successBaltimore SunAugust 20, 2008Health, safety and transportation advocates denounced Tuesday a proposal by more than 100 university administrators to reconsider the legal drinking age of 21 -- contending that any reduction would lead to thousands of additional drunken-driving deaths and other harm to the public health.

Educators Urge Lower Drinking Age to Cut BingeingWashington Post August 20, 2008Scores of college presidents, including the head of Maryland's public university system and the president of Johns Hopkins University, have an unexpected request for legislators: Please, lower the drinking age.

U.S. surgeon general to visit MSUMontana State UniversityAugust 15, 2008The acting surgeon general of the United States, Rear Adm. Steven Galson, will visit Montana State University on Aug. 20.Galson will focus on collegiate alcohol abuse, underage drinking. Last year, Galson's office published "A Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking," a report that considers underage alcohol abuse as a public health crisis.